Tina Turner sells music rights in blockbuster BMG deal

BMG declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal but did confirm to Rolling Stone that it represents the single largest artist acquisition in the Berlin-based company’s history.

“We all know how iconic Tina’s work is,” BMG Chief Executive Officer Hartwig Masuch told the magazine, adding, “When you look at the dimensions Tina’s career has entered even in the last few years between musicals and documentaries, there’s still so much untapped potential with her legacy.”

According to Variety, the company has vowed to work with Turner, 81, to “maintain and develop her musical treasure trove and safeguard her inspirational legacy.”

Despite her retirement from performing, Turner’s public profile is currently higher than it’s been in years, due to the smashing success of a host of recent projects, including a Tony-winning Broadway musical, an inspirational book and an HBO documentary, the entertainment news outlet reported.

Often referred to as the “queen of rock & roll,” Turner was the second artist to ever appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, after John Lennon, and the first woman and Black artist to hold the honor, the magazine reported.

“Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal,” Turner said in a prepared statement. “I am confident that with BMG and Warner Music my work is in professional and reliable hands.”

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